The Dark Horizon
by Skjaldmaer
Summary: This story revolves around the Gangrel Crone known as Etaine, and her endless struggle to survive in the city of Oneonta, New York. Together, with her few allies, she works to defend the city from both internal and external foes. This story is one of determination, betrayal, and the lust for power and blood. Kindred Elders, Fae, Lupines, Mages... the dangers and temptations abound.
1. Blood Song

A woman stood in the middle of a circular room, her face turned upward to the ceiling. The room's walls were that of an abandoned cavern, dry and barren. There was a single entrance into the room: a miner's tunnel, reaching upward into the twisted recesses of the mountain's endless passageways. However this room was not carved by human hands, unlike the abandoned mines that surrounded this chamber of worship. No, this was a natural formation, a womb of the earth herself. A lone fissure descended from the center of the room, surprisingly cylindrical and only a few inches in diameter. It plummeted into the darkness below, its true depth too dark and far to be seen.

The woman was naked, and she stood over the fissure, her sex aligned with the dark maw. With dirtied feet stanced wide and taloned fingers reaching to the stone sky, the woman closed her heavily-charcoaled eyes and sang her song.

The throaty lyrics were chanted in Old Norse, and the words dripped off her bloody lips like the moans of an enraptured lover. She swayed to the ancient ballad and brought her hands downward. She dug into her flesh with her claws and slowly raked red stripes into her nude form.

The woman bowed her head and finished her song. The shed blood dripped to her lower extremities. It lapped down her legs and pooled to the edges of the stone fissure. Then the red tendrils finally dripped and descended into the dark fissure of the mountain.

The woman sighed contentedly, and waited for the shed blood to continue its course, until a pint of the scarlet ooze had finally dripped into the mountain's depths.

Satisfied with her sacrifice, the woman bowed to the unseen presence of her deity. She chanted a few words, then stepped away from the fissure. She cracked her neck, closed her eyes briefly, and the self-inflicted wounds began to disappear from her unnaturally pale body. All that was left from the sacrifice were leftover streaks of coagulated blood. She sniffed the air and looked towards the entrance of her temple chamber. The woman narrowed her eyes and waited.

Footsteps padded down the mine shaft entrance, and darkness hid her visitor from view. But she recognized the heavy tread, and she frowned.

"Why are you here, Ashe?" Her voice was dry and tinged with mild annoyance.

A stout man with mischievous eyes and a cocky grin entered the chamber. He eyed the woman from head to toe, then lastly the pool of blood as it seeped into the fissure. "A sacrifice for the Crone? Why didn't ye invite me?" His broken Irish drawl echoed in the cavernous temple.

"Because you still have much to learn. Also, you're the new prince of this town, and there are other matters for you to attend to."

She stepped to the side, picked up her discarded garments, and began to dress. Her clothing was a mixture of animal skins, tanned leather, and linen wrappings. All were dirty and smelled of fur and earth. She dressed at a relaxed pace and showed no concern towards the man who watched her every move.

Lastly she donned her leather bracers, various rings, and numerous talismans. The talismans were old, the silver rubbed from decades of age and use. They hung from her muscular neck and fell against her well-endowed bosom. She slid into her suede boots, and glanced at her quiet pupil.

"I'll ask you again, Ashe. Why are you here?"

The man shifted his large hands into his jean pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Can't a Kindred stop by to say hey to his Mother, Etaine? Or just ask advice of the city's former prince?"

Etaine paused, then decided to tighten the leather laces on her right bracer. "What advice can I give you as both of those titles?"

The man grinned from ear-to-ear. "Well, ye see, tomorrow is Court, and well…" he reached into his pocket. "Have ye happened upon one of these yet?" He held up an envelope. The paper appeared to be made of old parchment, and a broken wax seal marked its yellowed back.

Etaine cocked an eyebrow at the presentation, then picked the parchment from his oil-stained hand. She read the document enclosed, and eyed the artistic calligraphy.

"A party invitation? From an unknown host?" She handed the document back to Ashe. "When did you get this?"

"Tonight. Me ghoul happened upon it. Said it was placed at me shop's mailbox. And addressed to me, not to me business. First name only."

"Hmm. My advice to you as your Crone Mother would have nothing to do with this scenario. However as previous Prince and current Seneschal… send me ahead and I'll scout out the place after court is held. You know how clever I can be as far as reconnaissance." She flashed him a fanged, crimson-stained smile, and handed the envelope back to its owner.

"Aye, that I do. Its why ye never made a good prince." He took the envelope and winked. He began to stroll away.

"Ashe..."

"Yes, Etaine?" he asks, turning back around.

"Did anyone else receive an invitation? Or just you?"

"Ah. Well, Sheriff Liam did. Keeper Rick, and that Federic fellow as well." He shrugs. "You didn't get one though, eh?"

Etaine chuckled and eyed the stone walls around her. "I don't exactly have a mailbox, now do I?"

Ashe laughed heartily. "See ye tomorrow then, Seneschal!" His heavy footsteps thudded against the stone floor, and eventually faded away into a distant patter.

Etaine brought a hand up to her blood-flecked, braided hair and stroked the blond weaves in contemplation. She sighed and glanced at the chamber floor once more. The blood was nearly gone and swallowed by the mountain's mouth. Etaine stepped over to her pack on the other side of the chamber. She rifled through the leather bag and searched for her own piece of parchment. She withdrew her envelope after a minute of patient rummaging.

Gazing at a similar copy of the letter Ashe had shown her, Etaine studied her own. She eyed the ancient paper and its ink-laden calligraphy. The identical broken wax seal was stamped with the same depiction of a fleur de lis. She rubbed her thumb over the red wax, and her brow furrowed in concentration. She eyed the lines of the document and noted that its penmanship was identical to the one Ashe had just shown her.

To Seneschal Etaine,

You are invited to share in a party of my hosting. Kindred and ghouls are permitted, but this show will be in your court's honor. I look forward to meeting your city's representatives, and I hope that my presentation will be to your delight. Please arrive at exactly 10pm. Not a minute sooner, nor a minute later. I look forward to meeting you, this Friday, February the 23rd.

Sincerely,

Your Host

Etaine sighed, folded the letter, and placed it back inside her pack.

"Till tomorrow," she murmured to herself. Etaine reclined upon the floor and allowed herself to merge with the stone, her Gangrel body hidden from untrained sight.


	2. A Bunker Named Elysium

Etaine strode down the cement passageway, and her right index finger traced a steady line along the moist underground wall. Her suede boots padded softly down the dark sewage tunnel, and she narrowed her eyes as she noticed the various traps planted along this route.

 _Mandrake root. Well done, Ratbreath. As always._

Etaine thought back upon her first encounter with the Nosferatu called 'Ratbreath'. The Kindred's smile was the first physical aspect to call her attention: his teeth were large and split, like rotten fingernails that sprouted from a corpse's gray hand. His lips were grotesquely large and stretched across a scarred, lumped chin, while his eyes glowed from within sunken sockets. The stench of sewage and filth followed him and his tattered clothing was riddled with stains of all different types of bodily fluids. His self-proclaimed title spoke for the stench of his exhalation upon one's cheek.

"Hello, Etaine. How are you this fine evening?"

 _Speak of the devil._

Etaine smiled and turned to eye the cheerful Nosferatu as he stepped alongside her. It was difficult to surprise the Gangrel and her animalistic senses, but nothing compared to a Nosferatu's capabilities where the Underground was concerned.

"I'm good Ratbreath. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm just grand," he grinned, displaying his plaque-covered teeth. "The rats and I are doing very well." Ratbreath giggled. "Enjoying your freedom of not being prince?"

Etaine nodded. "Definitely. Wasn't my style."

"Could've told ya that from the beginning. Maybe I'll just run for Prince next time." Ratbreath rubbed his stained palms together, and his smile widened.

Etaine chuckled. "I wouldn't mind that. Far better than Ashe, that's for sure."

The sewage tunnel came to an abrupt end, and a large iron door rose before the two Kindred. Etaine raised a fist and brought it down twice against the metal barrier.

"Open up. It's Etaine."

A small eye slot was pulled back from the inside, and Etaine raised an eyebrow at the hazel eyes that studied the two outsiders. "Hi there, Etaine. One second." The eye slot disappeared, and metal grated against metal. A short moment later the door swung inward, and Etaine and Ratbreath stepped through. The door swung shut behind them, and Etaine watched the hazel-eyed Keeper bolt the heavy door shut.

"Evening, Etaine. Evening, Ratbreath." The man nodded his head forward in greeting, and his cowboy hat briefly shadowed his face. Ratbreath nodded back, smiled wide, and offered the Keeper a rat just pulled from a torn pocket.

"Evening, Rick. Wanna bite?" The Nosferatu giggled as a disgusted look overtook the Keeper's bearded face.

"Umm, I think I'll pass on that," Rick replied. Ratbreath shrugged and pocketed the dead animal.

"Your loss," The Nosferatu sighed, and stepped away and sauntered into the Elysium

Etaine smirked at the exchange, then sighed as she watched Rick lean against the iron door. "Enjoying your new job as Keeper?" she asked.

The Kindred shrugged. "Guess it gives me status. So not too bad."

Etaine nodded and eyed the man's checkered shirt and how the top two buttons remained open, exposing the man's muscled upper chest. The long sleeved fabric stretched over his muscular biceps and large forearms. He wore dark blue jeans and steel-toed leather boots.

"Have they started?" she asked and nodded her head towards the large room. The concrete bunker was roughly fifty feet by fifty feet with a fluorescent-bulbed ceiling that rose sixteen feet from the cement floor. There was no furniture in this simple room save for the half-circle of metal folding chairs that were placed before a large, wooden pulpit. The pulpit was even simpler than the rusted chairs. It was crafted from basic boards and made no show for artistic quality.

"Well the Prince hasn't arrived yet," answered Rick. Etaine rolled her eyes, and he shrugged in response.

"Typical Ashe," Etaine growled as she stepped into the middle of the room. She walked to the far side and seated herself in the chair closest to the pulpit. Voices rose as she took her seat, and she looked up to eye the rest of the room's occupants.

Sheriff Liam was present. He was a large, heavyset man, dressed in jean coveralls and a black leather vest, with an antique metal sheriff pendant was pinned to his right breast. Liam guffawed loudly at one of Ratbreath's poorly timed jokes, and his bestial eyes glowed red for a brief moment. Etaine narrowed her eyes and silently hoped the man was in better spirits than the last time they had met. He was one of their best fighters in the city, but he had both the temper and patience of a frenzied Lupine.

"Seneschal Etaine, how are you?"

Etaine jumped slightly in her seat, as she heard the voice from behind her chair. Shortly after hearing the rustle of a leather trenchcoat, a man stepped into view. His pale face was twisted with an amused grin.

"Sorry, but did I just surprise you?" His voice was playful yet mocking.

Etaine grinned in response. "Federic Faust. It's been some time. I heard you were back in the city."

Federic folded his arms and shifted his combat booted feet upon the concrete. "Well, yes, indeed I am. I heard you were Prince."

Etaine nibbled on her lower lip a moment before responding. "Yeah. Had to take it for some time. Our Sheriff had a run-in with some Lupines, and I had to usurp in order to save face. Long story." She eyed the man from head to toe. "You here to stay?"

Federic sighed and ran a calloused palm over his shortly-cropped hair. "Depends. This city has been quite chaotic in the past."

Etaine nodded. "Definitely. Though I could use the help of a fellow Kindred who possesses the rare skill of common sense. This city definitely lacks it more than uses it."

Federic's upper lip curled into a sneer. "Yes. You could put it that way." He seated himself in the chair beside Etaine. "I take it this meeting is about those letters each of us has received."

Etaine nodded. "Yeah, as far as our Prince explained it to me, each member of the city has received an letter nearly identical to each other, an abandoned warehouse address stamped to the front. I find it rather amusing, yet also threatening."

"You mean the part that has us all going at a specific time to an unfamiliar location hosted by a cryptic individual?"

Etaine snorted. "Yeah. I might need your help scouting out the scene before everyone else arrives. It's always good to have a fellow Gangrel with an avian form." She winked at Federic, and he chuckled.

The large iron door creaked open as Keeper Rick greeted the newest occupant. Prince Ashe stepped into the room, a wide grin spread upon his stubbled face. "Alright, alright. The Prince is here. Ye can all relax now." The Kindred sauntered into the room and seated himself with an exaggerated sigh. "So, I hear we've got these letters of invitation…"

Etaine listened to the man drone on, his broken accent providing a minor discomfort. She thought back on her decision to appoint Ashe as the new Prince of Oneonta. The man was reckless, emotional, and stubborn. However he was not very intelligent, and thus easier to control than the other possible candidates.

Sheriff Liam's temper was atrocious, and despite what she had just told him, Ratbreath's demeanor was atypical for such a social role. The other members of the city were far too young and inexperienced for the crucial position, urban cowboy-wannabe Rick included. Etaine already regretted her decision in naming Ashe Prince of Oneonta, but she also knew it was the least of all evils where such a decision was concerned.

The night continued forward, and provided the usual amount of bickering and indecisive chatter. After an hour had passed, it was finally decided that all members would attend this mysterious event, but only after the location had been scouted and confirmed safe.

"Seneschal Etaine will be taking care of that matter," Prince Ashe concluded. Etaine nodded in agreement, then turned to Federic. "Mr. Faust will be accompanying me as well. Once we've decided the location is safe or unsafe, we will text you prior to the event."

Federic nodded once in approval.

"Well that concludes that," said Ashe. "See ye all in five days."


	3. Bird is the Word

Etaine stood at the edge of the icy cliffs as her blond braids swayed in the biting winter breeze. Her eyes were closed and her pink lips ajar. She spread both arms and inhaled the icy air that buffeted her pale cheeks. She smiled wide at the sensation of the bitter cold and reflected on her distant homeland. She opened her eyes to gaze upon the white winter moon.

Etaine quietly chanted a prayer to her goddess, the Lady Freyja. It had been a long time since she had felt the bond between mortal and ancestral deity. After receiving the vampiric embrace, Etaine had instantly become cut off from her goddess. Her prayers and sacrifices brought neither reply nor reward. Whether becoming an undead creature was what separated her from her goddess, Etaine could only hope that was not the irreversible cause. Even though she now existed in an unnatural form, Etaine had decided decades ago to continue her worship of the Norse Goddess of lust, battle, and death. Other Kindred deemed such nostalgic practices below themselves, and that these mythological beliefs belonged to mortals and mortals alone. But Etaine could not give up her constant, internal urge to conduct her ancestral faith and practices. Perhaps it was folly and empty nostalgia, but Etaine was also stubborn, and she refused to abandon her ancestral tribal beliefs.

Etaine stepped back from the cliff's edge and glanced behind her. This specific cliffside was the highest summit for the mine complex she had inherited off a deceased Kindred. The old mines coexisted with a far older cavern formation, and the tunnels ran for hundreds of miles. Etaine had not yet explored them fully after seizing the Kindred's deed to the mines. The remote location was both quiet and secure. The only entrance to this particular summit was by flight or climbing a lone, specific mine shaft that opened up to this very spot. A small copse of evergreens grew around the shaft's opening, and a large quarry pool divided the tiny woods from an even smaller meadow.

Etaine nodded to herself and stretched her arms above her head.

 _Time to fly._

The Gangrel willed her body to shift into the form of a peregrine falcon. They were native to these parts, and though uncommon, a witnessed sight would not risk breaching the Masquerade. Etaine fancied their 'stoop', and the mere fact that a perfect dive from max height would give her speed of up to 240 miles per hour. It was both time-saving and deadly. Etaine held both aspects in high regard.

Etaine flew from the summit and banked towards Oneonta. It was a ten-mile distance to cover, but she made good time since the wind pushed along her course.

Etaine spotted the warehouse far before she reached the actual structure, which was another plus with assuming the form of a falcon. The large steel building was located on the town's outer perimeter, just on the edge of the city's abandoned grain mill. Etaine swooped downward and alighted herself upon a nearby maple's lower branch. Her long talons clawed onto the frosted, flaking bark.

Etaine eyed the single entrance to the building. She had visited this structure only two nights before, and the warehouse was in _far_ better condition than she had last examined. Etaine concluded that whomever had fixed up the old depot, must have had an excessive source of funds and manpower.

Every light surrounding the complex was humming with whitewashed fluorescence, which provided an easy picture for Etaine to survey.

A tuxedoed bouncer stood just outside the entrance, with his hands clasped before him. He did not appear agitated by the cold, and Etaine instantly assumed he was a ghoul. A quick glance at his aura confirmed her assumption. Several well-dressed guests approached the bouncer, and each one wore expensive wool coats to fend the harsh weather. The bouncer collected their invitations and welcomed them inside.

 _Mortals._

A heavy flap from large wings buffeted from above and a golden eagle landed beside Etaine. It's quick berth shook the branch, and the larger bird made a friendly peck at her ruffled feathers. Etaine pecked back, and the eagle countered with a single squawk.

Etaine leapt from the branch and fluttered to the ground. She landed behind the maple and shape-changed back into her homid self. The eagle did the same, and Federic emerged with a cunning smirk on his face. "Starting without me, Etaine?" he taunted.

Etaine shrugged. "We agreed to meet at nine. You're merely a minute late."

Federic grunted and glanced at his wristwatch. "Lies."

Etaine chuckled. "I'm assuming you have already done your preliminary scout."

Federic folded his arms and sighed. "Yeah, you caught me. The other side has no doors nor windows. That guarded door is the only way in."

Etaine nodded. "Hmm. Our invitations said to arrive at precisely 10pm, yet these guests are allowed in prior. Interesting."

Federic hummed in agreement. "Can't help but try though."

Etaine smiled at the suggestion. "And this is why I enjoy working with you. You wanna try the bouncer, and I'll see if there are any air ducts to explore?"

"Sure. Just don't go all solo on this one. Okay, Etaine?"

Etaine smirked. "Now why would you say that? It's not like I do that _every_ time."

Federic narrowed his eyes and raised a single eyebrow.

"Come on, Federic. This is the time for us to have fun! Don't worry. I won't be reckless."

Federic raised an eyebrow. "Sure," he retorted, obviously not convinced. He turned away from her and began his downward trek to the bouncer. Etaine shifted back into her avian form and flew to the warehouse roof.

The frost-crusted air stacks were obvious, and there were only four to choose from. Etaine picked the one closest to the entrance and pushed her body through the largest break in the vent. She raised her talons and padded quietly through the metal tubing. She followed the echoes of laughter and the clinkings of glass, and after a few minutes of searching, she reaching a ventilation panel that overlooked the celebration.

It was a large gathering with at least fifty guests in sight. Etaine did a quick scan of the group's aura and discovered it to be a mixture of mortal, ghoul, and Kindred. As far as she could tell there were only four Kindred in attendance. She recognized none of the four individuals, and Etaine became uneasy at the revelation. She noted there were only two ghouls present, and the rest of the occupants were mere mortals.

The warehouse was sectioned off by a recently added wall that separated the remaining warehouse space from the lively party. Various refreshment tables spotted the scene, along with gaudy tapestries and modern art sculptures. Each mortal guest had a drink in hand, and each face smiled in whimsical reverie.

 _It's gotta be a fucking Ventrue behind this._

Etaine took note that she had not yet begun to feel the effects of any Ventrue discipline. She found this to be a relief, but a peculiar aspect to the whole affair. One of the two ghouls began to walk in her direction, with his focus on a door directly below her. He reached into his tuxedo, retrieved a key, and opened the door. The vent's screen rattled as he closed and locked the door behind him.

Etaine moved slowly down the metal duct until she found herself in front of another vented panel. She eyed the ghoul as he arranged eight folding chairs into a circle at the center of the small room. Then, after taking a quick look at the arrangement, the ghoul left the room and locked the door behind him.

Etaine eyed the circle of eight chairs grouped in the tiny room below her. She considered the number and immediately realized that it was the exact count of invitation letters received by herself and her Kindred counterparts.

 _Prince Ashe, Keeper Rick, Sheriff Liam, Ratbreath, myself, Federic, and two young ones. Yeah, this doesn't seem safe to me._

Etaine attempted to fit her avian form through the vent, but found the metal separators too close to squeeze through.

 _And this is why you make sure to master multiple animal forms as a Gangrel._ Etaine focused and willed herself into the form of a spitting cobra. It was definitely not a species indigenous to this region, but in Etaine's opinion, the deadly poison and ability to fit through small openings did play major boons.

Etaine slithered through the vent and fell to the carpeted floor. The navy rug smelled new and recently applied. With her scaled belly, she experienced the vibrations of the guests' footsteps in the adjacent party room and took note that no steps currently approached her room. Deciding the risk was worth it, Etaine shifted back into her human form. She quickly pulled her cellphone from a leather pocket and dialed Federic's number. It rang five times, and Etaine couldn't help but tap her foot with impatience.

"Hello, Etaine."

"Federic. Were you able to get inside the civilized way?"

"Nope. Bouncer took a look at my invitation, and said I was too early for admittance."

"Figures," Etaine sighed. "I'm inside the building. Turns out there's a side-room set up with eight chairs. The only door to the room is locked with a ghoul's key. I don't like it. The chairs are the exact number…"

"Of invitations received by us." Federic finished. "Oh, wonderful. What do you want to do?"

Etaine brought a palm to her forehead as she paced the room. "I'm gonna call Ashe and have him decide. I'll let you know once I know."

"Okay. Are you gonna leave or do something stupid?" Federic's tone was a mixture of concern and reproach.

"Not sure. I'll let you know once I know."

"Etaine, don't do anything…"

Etaine rudely flipped her phone shut and stepped towards the door. The knob was simple with an even simpler keyhole lock. She listened for a moment to make sure no one was approaching. Satisfied, she stepped away from the door, opened her phone, and called Prince Ashe.

"Hullo?"

"Ashe, I'm in the warehouse now…" She went on to explain the situation involved, including both Federic's and her own discoveries. "What do you wanna do? What's your call?"

"Ehh, I say we try it."

Etaine could envision the prince shrugging on the other end of the line. "You think that's wise? Even with the number of chairs?"

"So what about the number of chairs? Maybe it's a room for a private VIP party? I say we all attend. At least we know there's other people there."

"I think there's a powerful Ventrue involved. The mortals definitely seem to be under a mental effect. They're too laid back and happy for such an occasion."

"Didn't you say they were drinking? Eh. Ya know, let's try it out, Seneschal. Did ye see any weapons?"

"No, no mortal weapons to be seen." Etaine ground her teeth in frustration.

"Well, we'll see ye there at ten-o'clock. Mind texting everyone else the news?"

"Could you do that, Ashe? I'm currently in the room with…" The phone clicked dead on the other end.

 _You've gotta be kidding me._

Etaine stepped back to the door and listened. Satisfied again, she opened her phone and sent a mass text to the rest of the group that informed them the event was safe to attend. She added a second text addressed to only Federic.

" _Was Ashe's call."_

Etaine silenced and pocketed her phone. She stepped to the door one last time and listened.

 _Still no one approaching._

Etaine raised her fist to the doorknob and yanked hard to the left. She heard the cheap lock snap, and the Kindred nodded to herself in approval.

 _At least we won't be surprise-locked inside._

Etaine glanced at her watch and noted the time to be 9:40pm.

 _Twenty minutes left. I could wait here or in the ducts. Or..._

"Sorry, Federic," she sighed. And then, her curiosity getting the better of her, Etaine slowly opened the door and slipped into the party beyond.


End file.
